He moved silently through the labyrinth of halls, passing cell after cell. A muffled cry came from behind one of the locked doors. Suddenly he stopped. Looking around at all the cells, he felt a pang of guilt. There were people in all the cells he passed. People. He couldn't leave them behind. Most, like him, were prisoners of war.
He placed his hand on the nearest cell, and whispered the unlocking spell. The door slowly opened. A woman of indiscernible age stared at him through hooded eyes. He slowly held out his hand to her.
"Come on, we're getting out of here," he said in the gentlest tone his damaged voice could produce. She looked at him confused. "We're going to escape. Let's go!" he tried once more.
Her confused stare suddenly changed to one of anger and fear. Before he knew what happened, she gave an inhuman shriek and attacked. He was tackled to the floor, and felt teeth pierce the flesh of his left shoulder. He let out a curse as the woman ripped handfuls of his hair out.
Tossing aside any pretenses he had about striking females, he kicked the crazed woman off him and quickly scrambled to his feet. She didn't even have time to stand before he ran out the cell and threw the door closed. Her screams vibrated through the hall.
He quickly cast a silencing spell, and slumped down on the opposite wall. Grimacing as he looked down at the torn flesh on his shoulder, he chastised himself for being so stupid. He knew most of the prisoners in Azkaban lost their minds. But what did he do? He foolishly wanted to save them all, and went charging head first into the nearest cell. Stupid Griffindor bravery...
Yet there were those like him who were still sane. Those who would jump at any chance to leave this forsaken place. It would take too much time to find the ones who were healthy enough to follow. And he needed to move quickly, all that noise was bound to alert someone, or something.
He pulled himself off the wall, and took off down the hall at a brisk pace. He paused once more as he reached the end of the hall, and looked back at all the cells... at all the souls locked inside. Not all of them were lost yet. His mind made up, he held his right hand up.
"Finite Incantatum," he murmured. A series of clicks echoed down the hall as cell after cell was unlocked. He smiled to himself.
Those who were sane would find their own way out. Those who weren't... well, no harm done.
And so he went... slinking through the halls of Azkaban, unlocking cells as he went. He did this for what seemed like hours, until the hall he was following abruptly ended in a t-junction. He stood at the junction undecided, not knowing which way to go. He looked left, the hall was dark and bare. He looked right, it was the same.
Suddenly a haunting screech spilt through the air. The Dementors were alert and ready to hunt. A sickening rush of panic overtook him; the demon guards were onto him. Prisoners were on the loose, and those who were caught would receive the Dementor's kiss.
Cold sweat broke out over his body. He needed to get a move on it, had to pick a direction and go as quickly as possible. He looked to the left corridor again, dark and foreboding. He looked to the right again... but it was different this time.
Moonlight, shining unnaturally bright, illuminated the corridor. If that wasn't a good sign, then he was a monkey's uncle. He dashed down the right corridor.
He ran blindly down the hallway, only guided by the light of the moon. The screeching and hissing of the Dementors could be heard from the junction he had just left. He ran faster, fear building in his chest.
The hissing grew louder; they were chasing after him. He pushed himself to run faster, faster, and faster. He ran, passing cell after cell, following twist after turn.
And he kept running down that never ending hall; he could feel the Dementors' cold breath on the back of his neck. It chilled him to the bone, but it didn't stop him. It only fueled the fire that had sprung up inside him. Escape was within his grasp, and he would not back down. He would not give up.
Stairs. He saw stairs up ahead. The corridor ended in a stairwell not too far away. It was the only route for him to go, and the Dementors were gaining on him. He put on an extra burst of speed and launched himself up the stairs without thinking, taking them three at a time.
Higher and higher the stairs went, and he climbed until he was sure he would touch the stars soon. The stairwell ended with a huge wooden door. Below him came a screech, the Dementors were almost there. He flung the door open, and charged through.
Only to skid to a halt. He was on the tower's roof, a low parapet the only thing standing between him and the night sky. An icy gust of wind whipped through him as he cautiously looked over the stone wall. Far below raged unyielding black waters.
A low, monstrous hiss came from behind him; all air left his lungs . He turned, muscles tense with fear.
There stood an impossibly tall, black cloaked creature in the doorway. A large hood covered its head, hiding the creature's ungodly face. His heart shank; the Dementors had him cornered. There was no escape.
The Dementor slowly moved closer, as though stalking prey. He took an involuntary step backwards, hitting the stone parapet. He looked over once more... it was a long way down. He glanced at the approaching Dementor. He had to choose: take the fall and be killed, or stand here and receive the Dementor's kiss. His options were not good.
His terror froze him; he couldn't move. The Dementor was close enough to touch now, the penetrating cold of its presence clouding his thoughts. The creature reached out, its long white hands grazed his cheek. He jerked back as though burned. The Dementor was preparing to take his soul.
He pushed the creature back with all his might, sending it sprawling. The Dementor hissed angrily, but he wasn't paying attention to it anymore. He stood on the stone wall, arms outstretched, gazing into the murky waters below. Above him, the moon shone brightly, and his eyes once more locked on the silver globe.
"Let me walk in the circle of your light..." he whispered. And then he jumped. He plunged into the raging dark water below, trusting the powers-that-be to keep him safe.